A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Thursday, April
25, 2019
A tree swing on a giant Sycamore tree (Zacchaeus would have had a hard time climbing up this tree!). Our friend Jason is swinging Prentice, his 3 year old son (at the time) who kept hollering, "Higher, Higher!" Prentice' appeal for Higher, Higher prompted our song selection today.
Message
summary: How
healthy is your
root system today?
Listen to our
message on your
audio player.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7,8). "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6,7).
Deeper,
deeper in the love
of Jesus
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
Daily let me go;
Higher, higher in the school of wisdom,
More of grace to know.
What is
it about trees
that you like?
Perhaps it's their
visual beauty such
as the distant
profile of a tree
during a
particular season,
the color, beauty
and symmetry of
the leaves. Or
perhaps it's the
shade it provides.
Trees also help to
block forceful
winds that come
often where we
live.What a joyful memory many of us have of a tree swing or better yet a swinging tire. As children many of us enjoyed climbing trees. They served as a natural setting for a playroom with many levels. My friend Dave and I spent many hours climbing the huge Mulberry tree at the side of our house in Belton, Missouri. Brooksyne's brother built a spacious tree house for his children in their back yard that stands to this day.
We appreciate many forms of tree fruit, apples, peaches, cherries. You name it we probably like it. Not only fruit but we also enjoy the watery sap of the maple tree when it is processed into tasty maple syrup. Of course we all benefit from the products made from the wood of the tree.
But
I doubt if many of
us would say, "I
really like tree
roots!" In
many instances we
see roots as a
nuisance. The
large evergreen
trees to the side
of our house have
many exposed
roots. Exposed
tree roots can
heave sidewalks
and driveways in
the case our
fence), create
tripping hazards
and wreck the
blades of your
lawn mower such a
the scalping seen
in the photo. But
most roots of
course are largely
unseen. We may
forget all about
them till we have
an occasion to dig
them out and then
they are really a
pain!But roots are vital to a tree's well-being and this is in turn used to describe the spiritual life. This is seen in our first daily text describing a man whose trust and confidence are in the Lord; "He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream."
Many years ago we had a discipleship class in our church prepared by the Navigators called "2:7" based on our second daily Scripture reference, "rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:7).
Pastor
Ray Stedman, who
went to be with
the Lord in 1992,
shared an
interesting story
pertaining to
today's theme. I
think you'll find
it to be helpful
and we will
conclude our
message with this
story.
How healthy is your root system today?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
we want to be
like the trees
planted by
streams of
water that
remain
vibrant,
healthy, and
growing in
spite of
drought, storm
and the
extremes of
the winds and
temperatures.
As we are
rooted and
built up in
You we
continue to
grow, mature,
and remain
firm when the
raging storms
of life seek
to topple our
faith. No
matter what
we're dealt we
continue to
live in You,
rooted and
built up,
strengthened
in our faith,
and
overflowing
with
thankfulness
for all that
You are to us.
Amen.
"I
remember many
years ago a
youth conference
in the Sierra
Nevada. There a
young man came
to me and took
me aside. We
stood together
underneath a
great Douglas
fir and he said,
"Pastor, I don't
know what is the
matter with me.
I want to be a
good Christian,
and I try hard,
but somehow I
just never seem
to make it. I'm
always doing the
wrong thing. I
just can't live
like a
Christian."
I said to him, "Well, there may be several reasons for that, but let me ask you this, first of all: What about your private life with the Lord? How well do you know the Lord? How much do you delight in reading His Word and then spending time talking to Him? Because, after all, it's not the time spent in reading the Word that's important, but it's the time spent in enjoying the presence of God that strengthens you."
He hung his head and said, "Well, I admit I don't do very much of that." Just then this very phrase from the Psalms flashed into my mind, "He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water." I stepped back and said to him, "Look at this tree we're under. What does it remind you of? What are the qualities this tree suggests to you?"
He looked at the tremendous Douglas fir, towering up into the heavens above, and said, "Well, the first thing is, it's strong." I said, "Yes. Anything else?" "Well," he said, "it's beautiful." I said, "Exactly! Beauty and strength. Those are the two things you admire about this tree. And those are exactly the two things you want in your own life, aren't they? Beauty and strength?" He said, "Right."
"Well," I said, "Tell me this: What makes this tree beautiful and strong? Where does it get its beauty and its strength?" He stopped for a moment and looked at the tree, then he said, "Well, from the roots, I guess." I asked him, "Can you see the roots?" "No," he said, "You can't." Then he said, "I get it! That is the hidden part of life, but it is the secret of this tree's beauty and strength, isn't it?"
I said to him, "Well, there may be several reasons for that, but let me ask you this, first of all: What about your private life with the Lord? How well do you know the Lord? How much do you delight in reading His Word and then spending time talking to Him? Because, after all, it's not the time spent in reading the Word that's important, but it's the time spent in enjoying the presence of God that strengthens you."
He hung his head and said, "Well, I admit I don't do very much of that." Just then this very phrase from the Psalms flashed into my mind, "He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water." I stepped back and said to him, "Look at this tree we're under. What does it remind you of? What are the qualities this tree suggests to you?"
He looked at the tremendous Douglas fir, towering up into the heavens above, and said, "Well, the first thing is, it's strong." I said, "Yes. Anything else?" "Well," he said, "it's beautiful." I said, "Exactly! Beauty and strength. Those are the two things you admire about this tree. And those are exactly the two things you want in your own life, aren't they? Beauty and strength?" He said, "Right."
"Well," I said, "Tell me this: What makes this tree beautiful and strong? Where does it get its beauty and its strength?" He stopped for a moment and looked at the tree, then he said, "Well, from the roots, I guess." I asked him, "Can you see the roots?" "No," he said, "You can't." Then he said, "I get it! That is the hidden part of life, but it is the secret of this tree's beauty and strength, isn't it?"
How healthy is your root system today?
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father,
we want to be
like the trees
planted by
streams of
water that
remain
vibrant,
healthy, and
growing in
spite of
drought, storm
and the
extremes of
the winds and
temperatures.
As we are
rooted and
built up in
You we
continue to
grow, mature,
and remain
firm when the
raging storms
of life seek
to topple our
faith. No
matter what
we're dealt we
continue to
live in You,
rooted and
built up,
strengthened
in our faith,
and
overflowing
with
thankfulness
for all that
You are to us.
Amen.Follow
up comment
from a
faithful
reader
regarding Monday's
message: I
was thinking
about it and
thought "You
know those
disciples
should have
listened to
the women,
we’re usually
always right"
😊 That
reminded me of
when I had to
take a Logic
class in
college. I
really
struggled with
that class – I
could come up
with the
correct
conclusions to
the
professor’s
questions, but
I did not
understand any
of the steps
in his
‘formula’
which we were
supposed to
use to arrive
at the correct
conclusion.
One day, he
called on me
in class to
provide the
correct
conclusion –
which I did.
He then said,
“Miss Roberts,
can you tell
me the steps
you used to
arrive at that
conclusion?”
So, I just
responded,
“Professor
Mow, the only
thing I can
tell you is
the conclusion
I came up with
just seemed
right.” I
remember him
smiling and
saying to the
class, “Miss
Roberts is
proof of the
theory, women
aren’t always
logical, but
they’re
usually
right.” He was
a great guy!
We
think there's
something
especially
beautiful
about the
young leaves
during this
season
This
scene is along
Rt 501 in
Berks County
coming off
Blue Mountain.
(Click
on photo to
enlarge)
This
is the
backyard view
of some
friends in
Lebanon
County.
Flowering
tree and farm
field near
Hershey, PA.
Our
backyard
Dogwood is in
full bloom but
it doesn't
last long!
Here's
the row of
trees beside
our house that
have many
exposed roots.
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental Resources
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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